1 Now after this, David, questioning the Lord, said, Am I to go up into any of the towns of Judah? And the Lord said to him, Go up. And David said, Where am I to go? And he said, To Hebron.2 So David went there, taking with him his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail, the wife of Nabal of Carmel.3 And David took all his men with him, every man with his family: and they were living in the towns round Hebron.4 And the men of Judah came there, and with the holy oil made David king over the people of Judah. And word came to David that it was the men of Jabesh-gilead who put Saul's body in its last resting-place.5 And David sent to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, May the Lord give you his blessing, because you have done this kind act to Saul your lord, and have put his body to rest!6 May the Lord be good and true to you: and I myself will see that your kind act is rewarded, because you have done this thing.7 Then let your hands be strong, and have no fear: though Saul your lord is dead, the people of Judah have made me their king.8 Now Abner, the son of Ner, captain of Saul's army, had taken Saul's son Ish-bosheth over to Mahanaim,9 And made him king over Gilead and the Asherites and over Jezreel and Ephraim and Benjamin, that is, over all Israel.10 (Saul's son Ish-bosheth was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he was ruler for two years.) But Judah was on the side of David.11 And the time when David was king in Hebron over the people of Judah was seven years and six months.12 And Abner, the son of Ner, with the servants of Saul's son Ish-bosheth, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.13 And Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out and came face to face with them by the pool of Gibeon; and they took up their position, facing one another on opposite sides of the pool.14 And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men give a test of their strength before us. And Joab said, Let them do so.15 So they got up and went over by number: twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth and twelve of the servants of David.16 And every one got the other by the head, driving his sword into the other's side, so they all went down together: and that place was named the Field of Sides, and it is in Gibeon.17 And there was hard fighting that day; and Abner and the men of Israel gave way before the servants of David.18 There were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel: and Asahel was as quick-footed as a roe of the fields.19 Asahel went running after Abner, not turning to the right or to the left.20 Then Abner, looking back, said, Is it you, Asahel? And he said, It is I.21 And Abner said, Then go to the right or to the left and put your hands on one of the fighting-men and take his arms. But Asahel would not be turned away from going after Abner.22 Then again Abner said to Asahel, Go to one side, do not keep on coming after me: why will you make me put an end to you? for then I will be shamed before your brother Joab.23 But still he did not go to one side: so Abner gave him a back blow in the stomach with his spear, so that the spear came out at his back; and he went down on the earth, wounded to death: and all those who came to the place where Asahel went down dead, came to a stop.24 But Joab and Abishai went after Abner: and the sun went down when they came to the hill of Ammah, which is to the east of the road through the waste land of Geba.25 And the men of Benjamin came together after Abner in one band, and took their places on the top of a hill.26 Then crying out to Joab, Abner said, Are fighting and destruction to go on for ever? do you not see that the end will only be bitter? how long will it be before you send the people back and make them give up attacking their countrymen?27 And Joab said, By the living God, if you had not given the word, the people would have gone on attacking their countrymen till the morning.28 So Joab had a horn sounded, and all the people came to a stop, and gave up going after Israel and fighting them.29 And all that night Abner and his men went through the Arabah; they went over Jordan and through all Bithron and came to Mahanaim.30 And Joab came back from fighting Abner: and when he had got all his men together, it was seen that nineteen of David's men, in addition to Asahel, were not with them.31 But David's men had put to death three hundred and sixty of the men of Benjamin and of Abner's men32 And they took Asahel's body and put it in the last resting-place of his father in Beth-lehem. And Joab and his men, travelling all night, came to Hebron at dawn.

1 Igitur post hc consuluit David Dominum, dicens : Num ascendam in unam de civitatibus Juda ? Et ait Dominus ad eum : Ascende. Dixitque David : Quo ascendam ? Et respondit ei : In Hebron. 2 Ascendit ergo David, et du uxores ejus, Achinoam Jezralites, et Abigail uxor Nabal Carmeli : 3 sed et viros, qui erant cum eo, duxit David singulos cum domo sua : et manserunt in oppidis Hebron. 4 Veneruntque viri Juda, et unxerunt ibi David ut regnaret super domum Juda. Et nuntiatum est David quod viri Jabes Galaad sepelissent Saul. 5 Misit ergo David nuntios ad viros Jabes Galaad, dixitque ad eos : Benedicti vos Domino, qui fecistis misericordiam hanc cum domino vestro Saul, et sepelistis eum. 6 Et nunc retribuet vobis quidem Dominus misericordiam et veritatem : sed et ego reddam gratiam, eo quod fecistis verbum istud. 7 Confortentur manus vestr, et estote filii fortitudinis : licet enim mortuus sit dominus vester Saul, tamen me unxit domus Juda in regem sibi.8 Abner autem filius Ner, princeps exercitus Saul, tulit Isboseth filium Saul, et circumduxit eum per castra, 9 regemque constituit super Galaad, et super Gessuri, et super Jezral, et super Ephraim, et super Benjamin, et super Isral universum. 10 Quadraginta annorum erat Isboseth filius Saul cum regnare cpisset super Isral, et duobus annis regnavit : sola autem domus Juda sequebatur David. 11 Et fuit numerus dierum quos commoratus est David imperans in Hebron super domum Juda, septem annorum et sex mensium.12 Egressusque est Abner filius Ner, et pueri Isboseth filii Saul, de castris in Gabaon. 13 Porro Joab filius Sarvi, et pueri David, egressi sunt, et occurrerunt eis juxta piscinam Gabaon. Et cum in unum convenissent, e regione sederunt : hi ex una parte piscin, et illi ex altera. 14 Dixitque Abner ad Joab : Surgant pueri, et ludant coram nobis. Et respondit Joab : Surgant. 15 Surrexerunt ergo, et transierunt numero duodecim de Benjamin, ex parte Isboseth filii Saul, et duodecim de pueris David. 16 Apprehensoque unusquisque capite comparis sui, defixit gladium in latus contrarii, et ceciderunt simul : vocatumque est nomen loci illius : Ager robustorum, in Gabaon. 17 Et ortum est bellum durum satis in die illa : fugatusque est Abner et viri Isral a pueris David.18 Erant autem ibi tres filii Sarvi, Joab, et Abisai, et Asal : porro Asal cursor velocissimus fuit, quasi unus de capreis qu morantur in silvis. 19 Persequebatur autem Asal Abner, et non declinavit ad dextram neque ad sinistram omittens persequi Abner. 20 Respexit itaque Abner post tergum suum, et ait : Tune es Asal ? Qui respondit : Ego sum. 21 Dixitque ei Abner : Vade ad dexteram, sive ad sinistram, et apprehende unum de adolescentibus, et tolle tibi spolia ejus. Noluit autem Asal omittere quin urgeret eum. 22 Rursumque locutus est Abner ad Asal : Recede, noli me sequi, ne compellar confodere te in terram, et levare non potero faciem meam ad Joab fratrem tuum. 23 Qui audire contempsit, et noluit declinare : percussit ergo eum Abner aversa hasta in inguine, et transfodit, et mortuus est in eodem loco : omnesque qui transibant per locum illum, in quo ceciderat Asal et mortuus erat, subsistebant. 24 Persequentibus autem Joab et Abisai fugientem Abner, sol occubuit : et venerunt usque ad collem aquductus, qui est ex adverso vallis itineris deserti in Gabaon. 25 Congregatique sunt filii Benjamin ad Abner : et conglobati in unum cuneum, steterunt in summitate tumuli unius. 26 Et exclamavit Abner ad Joab, et ait : Num usque ad internecionem tuus mucro desviet ? an ignoras quod periculosa sit desperatio ? usquequo non dicis populo ut omittat persequi fratres suos ? 27 Et ait Joab : Vivit Dominus, si locutus fuisses, mane recessisset populus persequens fratrem suum. 28 Insonuit ergo Joab buccina, et stetit omnis exercitus, nec persecuti sunt ultra Isral, neque iniere certamen. 29 Abner autem et viri ejus abierunt per campestria, tota nocte illa : et transierunt Jordanem, et lustrata omni Beth-horon, venerunt ad castra. 30 Porro Joab reversus, omisso Abner, congregavit omnem populum : et defuerunt de pueris David decem et novem viri, excepto Asale. 31 Servi autem David percusserunt de Benjamin, et de viris qui erant cum Abner, trecentos sexaginta, qui et mortui sunt. 32 Tuleruntque Asal, et sepelierunt eum in sepulchro patris sui in Bethlehem : et ambulaverunt tota nocte Joab et viri qui erant cum eo, et in ipso crepusculo pervenerunt in Hebron.